Laxus stared at the base of the Azure mountains and frowned. "This is where Erza said Alex would be," he muttered. He walked through the woods, hoping to catch her scent.

He began to climb up the mountains and perked his head up at the sound of thunder and a body crashing into a boulder. Concerned, he ran until he found Alex standing and glaring at a wyvern laying on the ground. Two little boys and two cats were sitting next to a tree watching her. "That was awesome!" The blonde-haired boy said, grinning.

Alex grinned when the wyvern stood up and flew away. "There we go. He shouldn't be terrorizing the people at the base of these mountains anymore." She crossed her arms and looked at the boys. "Alright, now what did you two learn from this?" She looked up when she noticed Laxus standing there. "Laxus? What are you doing here?" She asked, confused. She walked over to him and tilted her head. "Is everything alright?"

"I should be asking you that," Laxus retorted. "You have the guild worried about you. And what are you doing with these two?" He added, gesturing to the two kids. "Are you running some daycare?"

Alex rolled her eyes. "I'm training, Sparkles." She turned to the boys. "Go ahead and run some laps while I talk to Laxus here." When they looked like they were about to argue, she raised her eyebrow. "What did I say when you asked me to train you?"

"Don't argue, or you won't train us," The black-haired boy said, crossing his arms and pouting. "But what is running laps going to do?"

"When it comes to your magic and how well you can manage it, physical ability is just as important as magic ability. The more endurance you have, the longer you can do certain spells." Alex looked towards the trees. "I want you both to run from the edge of those trees to that big rock by the mountain. Do that about fifteen times." The two boys groaned but began to run the laps she told them to do. "So why did the guild send you after me?" Alex asked, curious. "I didn't think you were on speaking terms with any of them besides Team Natsu."

"They're worried you're going to do something rash," Laxus said, watching the boys with Alex. "I don't think they meant babysitting either."

"I'm training them," Alex said, crossing her arms. "They came up to me when I was coming up here for my job and asked me to. I couldn't very well tell them no, now could I?"

"Sure you could have," Laxus argued. "They're kids! Where are their parents?"

"Don't make fun of Sting-Kun!" The little brown cat growled. "With Alex-san's help, he's going to be one of the greatest Dragon Slayers in the world!"

"Frosch thinks so too," The little cat in a pink frog suit said.

"Dragon Slayers?" Laxus asked, looking at Alex. "And who are these little pests?" The brown cat hissed a little at the pest comment.

Alex nodded. "Yeah. Just like Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy, they were raised by dragons. And these are their exceed friends, Lecter and Frosch."

Laxus nodded and looked at Alex. Despite her tone, she looked tired. "Hey, cats." He turned to the exceeds. "Go hang out with your Dragon Slayers and give us some privacy."

Lecter looked ready to argue when Alex tapped him with her foot. She shook her head, telling him not to argue and to do what Laxus said. He frowned but pulled Frosch away and went to join their friends.

"So why didn't you bring your criminal team with you?" He asked, looking at her. He sat down and pulled her down to sit beside him. "A wyvern of that size is usually an S-Class quest."

Alex shrugged. "I figured it would do me some good," She admitted. "I haven't been on a solo job since Lucy showed up at the guild, and I think it's making me lose my edge."

"Come on," Laxus snorted. "Tell me the truth. Why did you decide to come out here all by yourself? You're much more social than that."

Alex glared up at the man before sighing and laid down on the grass. She still kept an ear out for the young Dragon Slayers running their laps. "I couldn't ask them to help me with this." Laxus raised his eyebrow in confusion, so she continued. "I promised them I'd help them with their dreams. Like Richard wanted to find his brother, Sawyer wanted to be faster than anyone, and Macbeth wanted to be able to sleep in peace. I'm failing them; I just know it."

"What are you talking about?" Laxus asked, confused. "Didn't you reunite that Richard guy with his brother, and doesn't Macbeth sleep in a soundproof room?"

"Sure," Alex nodded, staring at the sky. "But I don't even know how to help Sawyer, Erik was reunited with his dearest friend from when he was little without my help, and for the life of me, I can't find Sorano's little sister."

"Don't worry so much," Laxus said, crossing his arms. "It's not your responsibility to worry about everyone in the guild." When she didn't answer, he changed the subject. "So, you're training Dragon Slayers now?"

Alex smiled and stared at the sky. "Just these two, really. And only because they asked me." She sat up. "I should get back to training them." She looked at Laxus and stood up. "Thanks for checking on me, but I'm sure you have something better to do than watch me."

Laxus leaned back and watched Alex walk towards the two you Slayers. They were still running the laps she had assigned them. "Sting, Rogue!" She called. "It's time to start working on your magic."

Sting stopped mid-lap and cheered. "Finally!" Rogue elbowed him and glared. "What?" He pouted. "How am I supposed to get as strong as Natsu if all I'm doing is laps?"

"You should be grateful she's even willing to train us at all!" Rogue growled. "She's a busy and popular wizard, and I'm sure she has much more important things to do than spend time with a couple of kids."

"Oh, boys!" Alex called, her arms crossed. "We're wasting precious training time!"

"Coming!" The boys shouted, running over to her.

Laxus watched as Alex trained the two Dragon Slayers in their respective abilities. She was patient and made the training enjoyable for the boys. She incorporated the Exceeds often, saying they needed to be able to work as a team. After three hours of training, Alex had them end the day with an aerial race, Lecter and Sting being the winners.

Alex walked over to Frosh and Rogue while Sting and Lecter were celebrating their victory. They were disappointed in themselves for losing. "Don't feel bad, you two," She said, kneeling in front of them. "You two are amazing, and you're only going to get better. This just tells you how you can improve for next time." When Rogue and Frosch cheered up, they joined Sting. "Good job, boys," Alex praised. "I'm confident if you keep up your training, you'll be some of the best wizards out there." The two Dragon Slayers beamed at the praise. "Laxus and I will take you back to where you're staying, alright?"

"Are you going to train us again?" Sting asked, hanging on to Alex's arm. "You're the strongest person we know. You're the only one we want training us, right Rogue?" Rogue nodded in agreement.

Alex thought for a minute before looking down at the boy's hopeful looks. She smiled, amused. "I think I'll be able to fit that in my schedule. Now let's go before it gets dark."

After talking to the village mayor and getting paid, Alex and Laxus climbed into a carriage with the boys. When it began to move, Laxus' face turned green. "Hey, what's wrong with that guy's face?" Sting asked, curious.

Alex smirked. "This is what happens to all Dragon Slayers eventually. Once they get powerful enough, they get nauseous with any form of transportation."

Rogue grimaced. "That's something to look forward to," He muttered sarcastically. Alex laughed and turned to look out the window, rubbing Laxus' back to distract him from his motion sickness.

The carriage ride was silent as they rode to Crocus. Rogue curiously watched as Alex continued to rub Laxus' back absentmindedly while staring outside. He looked away when he felt Frosch pull on his shirt. "What are you looking at, Rogue?"

Rogue shook his head and looked outside. "I'm not sure, Frosch. But I'll find out."

When the carriage stopped in the middle of Crocus, Alex and the Dragon Slayers climbed out. Laxus took a deep breath to settle his stomach. When his nausea was gone, he joined Alex in walking the young Dragon Slayers to the hotel.

"You know, you two could join Fairy Tail if you want," Alex offered. "You'd be more than welcome."

Sting considered it but shook his head after looking at Rogue. "No thanks. I want to be stronger before meeting Natsu."

Alex shrugged but nodded in understanding. "If you say so," She said. She turned around and started walking out the door with Laxus. "Feel free to contact me anytime you two want to train."

They were almost out the door when Rogue spoke up. "Are you two seeing each other?"

Laxus froze while Alex turned around in confusion. "What are you talking about?" She asked. "We're not together. What gave you that idea?"

Laxus frowned and started walking out the door. "Aren't you two a little young to be asking about this kind of thing?" He asked the young Dragon Slayers. The two chose not to say anything. He rolled his eyes."Get some sleep, kids. I gotta make sure Alex eats something before she gets back to the guild."

Alex frowned in concern before smiling at the boys. "Take care, you two!" She waved at them before running to catch up to Laxus.

Sting elbowed Rogue. "What was that about?" He asked, irritated. "What a weird thing to ask our trainer about."

Rogue shrugged. "I thought it was obvious they were together with how much attention she was giving him." He scoffed as they walked up to their room. "Besides," He added, grinning. "I'm pretty sure that blonde Dragon Slayer was planning on telling her soon anyway."

Sting crossed his arms and glared at his friend. "He looked pretty annoyed, though. What if he decides she shouldn't be around us because we don't know how to keep our mouths shut? We'll lose our trainer because you couldn't mind your own business."

Rogue rolled his eyes and opened their room door. "If you think she's going to stop training us just because her boyfriend says to, you're an idiot. She's more powerful than he is, and I doubt she'd take too kindly to being ordered around."

Sting sat on his bed and thought about it. "You're right," He chuckled. "I don't know what I was thinking. Besides, she did promise to make us stronger." He leaned forward. "So tell me more about this guild Sabertooth."

Back with Laxus and Alex

"Laxus, wait up," Alex said, running over to him. When she caught up, she looked at him in concern. "What's wrong?"

Laxus looked at her. "Are you hungry? I know I told the kiddie Slayers I was taking you to get something to eat, but I never asked if you wanted anything." The two of them were standing outside of a ramen restaurant.

The concern on Alex's face turned to confusion. "I mean, I could eat, but that's not what we were talking about."

Laxus pushed her in front of him, and they walked into the restaurant. "Let's talk about it while we get some food. And you can tell me all about Edolas while we're talking."

"Do we have to?" Alex asked, sulking. "It's not exactly something I think needs to be discussed yet."

"Yeah, well, I was hoping to wait until I knew more myself before I talk about what I'm about to tell you," Laxus retorted. "So I guess we're both going to be uncomfortable."

Alex pouted but nodded in acceptance. "Fine," she said. The two of them sat down at a table and gave the waiter their order. She looked at Laxus and leaned across the table to look at him."What do you want to know?"

"What happened on Edolas?" Laxus asked her. "Better yet, what is Edolas. And why are your friends concerned about what happened?" "That's a lot to unload," Alex said, crossing her arms. "Where should I start?"

"At the beginning would be nice," Laxus said, amused.

Alex sighed. "I guess first I should tell you, other worlds exist. And I'm from one where this world is part of a television show that I was a pretty big fan of."

Laxus nodded. "That would explain how you not only knew where I was during the Battle of Fairy Tail, but you also knew I would lose." He motioned for her to continue her story.

Alex then told him what exactly happened on Edolas. Laxus stopped her when she started telling him about their plan to free the rest of Fairy Tail. "Let me get this straight," He said, irritated. "You walked right into a trap, knowing it was a trap, just so the two cats could learn about where they came from?" At her nod, he snorted. "That was stupid of you."

"Do you want the story or not?" Alex asked, irritated. When he rolled his eyes in response, she continued her story. When she finished her story, their food was out, and she took a bite of her ramen.

"So when you left the group, you were getting some serum that shut off your Demon powers?" Laxus asked. She nodded. "Why do you need something like that?"

"In the future, we have to deal with a guild of Demons," Alex said, looking at her bowl. I think it'll give us an edge, so I thought it would be a good idea to learn what it was made of and make more of it."

"And how were you planning on testing this stuff?" Laxus asked. "Were you going to find some Demons to test it on?"

"Are you crazy?" Alex asked. "I'm not suicidal. I'm not going to hunt down Demons with an untested serum."

"So, how are you going to test it?" Laxus demanded. When she didn't answer, he continued. "Are you having Mira help you with her Satan Soul magic?" Alex drank a spoonful of soup and avoided looking at him. "You're not planning on testing it on yourself."

"This is delicious ramen," Alex said instead of answering.

"Dammit, Alex. That's a terrible idea."

Alex glared at him. "It's not that bad. How else am I supposed to make sure it works like the little bit of serum I already have?"

"You're not risking your life on a chance," Laxus growled. "I'd prefer we face the Demons at full power than you do something stupid like that." When she wasn't budging, he sighed. "How about you dilute it and use it as a weaker version? It may not last as long, but it could give us an edge." He looked at her imploringly. "Please don't risk your life like that. Especially when it isn't necessary."

Alex sighed and looked out the window. "I guess I can live with diluting it. It won't be as potent, but I think we can make it work." She smiled up at the waiter when he took their bowls away. They stood up, and Laxus paid for their food. "So what is it you wanted to talk about?" She asked when they walked out of the restaurant. Laxus sighed, and he led them through town. "Let's walk. I'd like not to be sick in a carriage while I'm trying to explain things." Alex nodded, and they started walking down the road. "What do you know about Dragon Slayers and their mates? More specifically, how a mate is chosen?"

Alex shrugged, not fully understanding. "Not much, really. I know Dragon mates are a thing, and the Dragon Slayer in question will do anything to take care of their mates." She looked at him, confused. "Where are you going with this?"

Laxus sighed and looked at her. "I've been doing a lot of meditating while I was away. I even managed to get into contact with my inner Dragon."

"That's great!" Alex smiled. "I'm so happy for you."

Laxus nodded and looked at the sky. "Yeah, he was pretty helpful. Answered a lot of questions." He turned back to her. "I'm not sure, but I think you should have an inner Demon, being a slayer. Maybe if you meditate on it, you can get in contact with them and get more control on your Demon form."

Alex thought about it and nodded. "That might be a good idea. I'd hate to think about what could happen if the Demon part of me ended up hurting someone I care about." She smiled at him. "You're stalling."

"I guess I am," Laxus sighed. He looked ahead and continued walking. "My inner Dragon helped me figure out a lot about Dragon Slayers. And one of the things he talked about was mates. For Dragons, it's an instantaneous thing. They see they're mates, and they just know. For Slayers, it's more of a pull. They see their mates, and they start thinking about them more. 'What are they doing?' 'Are they happy?' 'What can I do to make them feel safe?' Things like that." He looked at her. "And they'll do whatever they can to make sure their mate is the best person they can be. Even if it means planning to take on their entire guild just to make it stronger."

Alex looked down, her eyebrows furrowed. "I thought you did that because you were mad at your grandfather. You said it was because he made Fairy Tail the laughing stock of Fiore. Are you saying it was really for your mate?"

"I guess so," Laxus shrugged. "Part of it was because of the old man, but I guess most of it was because my Dragon wanted to do what he thought was best for my mate."

Alex laughed. "Mates make you do crazy things, huh?" She smiled. "Were you planning on telling Mira this at all?"

Laxus looked at her, confused. "What does Mira have to do with this?" He asked.

"Isn't Mira your mate?" Alex was confused. She was so sure Laxus and Mira were supposed to end up together. He had known her for a long time. "Or are you actually into Freed?" She knew Freed was a massive fan of Laxus.

Laxus growled in frustration. He was getting nowhere. "I'm not into guys. And Mira isn't my mate. Where did you even get that idea?"

"I don't know," Alex muttered. "It made sense to me. Why are you even talking about mates in the first place? I understood you mentioning your Inner Dragon. And I'm glad he was able to help you get some clarity, but what are you talking about?"

"I'm trying to say you're my mate," Laxus sighed, suddenly tired. "So I don't like it when you go and do something reckless like getting captured when you know it's a trap or running off without your team on a potentially dangerous mission."

Alex looked at him, stunned. "What are you talking about?" She asked. "I'm not your mate. How could I be? I'm not even from this world. Shouldn't your mate at least be from here?"

Laxus felt his Inner Dragon snarl. He didn't like his mate doubting him. "Do you remember much from the show?" He asked. "Do you remember me having anyone that I cared about like that?" When she didn't answer, he sighed in annoyance. "Look, I know who my mate is, and it's you. Maybe the reason you never knew who my mate was, is because my mate wasn't even in this world yet." He looked at the moon. "It's getting late. Let's stop in the next town and get you a room. You won't be able to get to Magnolia tonight."

The two of them walked in silence on their way to the nearest village. Laxus was frustrated that Alex wasn't understanding. He told her she was his mate, and she kept insisting he had to be wrong. But he knew it had to be her. There was no one else.

Meanwhile, Alex was confused. Sure, she didn't remember him ending up with anyone, but had someone in the background, right? She shook her head. It had to have been her fault. She just knew she messed up the timeline so much it ruined Laxus' future. She slowed down until she stopped in the middle of the road as Laxus walked further away.

Laxus slowed down and turned around when he stopped hearing her footsteps. He looked at her confused when he saw a frown on her face. "What's wrong?" He asked, walking over to her. He picked up her face to see tears in her eyes. His face morphed into one of concern. "Hey now, why are you crying? What did I say?"

"I'm sorry," Alex said, crossing her arms. She wiped her eyes and looked away. "I screwed up your future just by being here. I should have never gone to Fairy Tail."

Laxus sighed and ran his hand through his hair. This was not how he planned on their conversation going. He pulled her into a hug. She gasped in surprise at the action but let him hug her. "You didn't screw up my future," He said. "If you hadn't arrived in Fairy Tail, I probably would have done something I'd end up regretting. If anything, you made my life so much brighter by being in it. Don't ever regret coming to Fairy Tail." He pulled away and smiled down at her. "Now, let's get you a hotel room so you can get some sleep."

Alex gave a watery smile and walked beside him into Peace Village. He pulled her in so she was underneath his arm. She relaxed into his hold and let him lead her to the hotel in the center of town.

When they got to the hotel, Laxus paid for a room for the night and brought her upstairs. Alex looked around. "There's only one bed," She said, confused.

"I'm not staying," Laxus shrugged. "I should be heading off soon." He sat down on the bed. "Now you wanna tell me why you've been so stressed out?" He asked, pulling her down to sit beside him. "You haven't exactly been in contact with me in a while."

"Talk about a subject change," Alex muttered, laying across the bed.

"As your mate, I'd like to think I have a right to know what's stressing you out," Laxus pointed out, lying beside her. "Who knows, maybe I can help."

Alex thought about it for a minute, then closed her eyes. "I'm worried about the S-Class trials," She admitted. At his look of confusion, she continued. "Something pretty bad happens on Tenrou Island during them, and I don't know what to do about it."

"What happens?" Laxus asked, serious.

Alex hesitated before looking at Laxus to see concern shining in his eyes. "A dark guild interrupts the trials to find the wizard Zeref. The commotion brings a dark Dragon, and everyone that goes to Tenrou Island is trapped for seven years, and the guild is pretty much ruined." She sighed and looked away. "I don't know what I can do to fix it."

Laxus was silent as he processed her words. "You should talk to the old man," He said after a few minutes. "He should be willing to listen. And if he doesn't," Laxus smirked. "I was planning on stopping by Tenrou Island at some point on my travels anyway. I'll just go there during the trials." Alex opened her mouth to protest when Laxus patted her shoulder. "Don't worry about it. I'll make sure everyone is safe." He stood up. "I should get going."

Alex got up beside him. "What about this mate thing? What are we going to do about it?"

Laxus smirked and pulled her into another hug. Alex squeaked in surprise but otherwise said nothing. "Why don't we worry about it later?" He asked. "Once the S-Class trials are over, we'll talk about it, okay?"

Alex looked ready to protest but couldn't find the words she needed to say. Instead, she just nodded in acceptance. Laxus leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "We'll see each other again soon. Don't worry." Laxus walked out the door and left Alex in the room alone. "Keep taking care of Fairy Tail while I'm gone."

Alex watched the door close behind Laxus, frustrated. She sighed after a few minutes and flopped onto her bed. "Great. Now, what am I supposed to do?" She rolled over and shut her eyes. "I guess I'll figure it out in the morning," She muttered before going to sleep.

Hey everyone! Well, this was a longer chapter than I was planning, but words kept tumbling out, and here we are. It might seem like the topic kind of went everywhere in some places, but I wasn't sure how else to word some of it. I hope you liked this chapter because the next few will be a little difficult for me to write, and I'm not fully sure when I'll be able to post them. I'm also thinking about ending this story and making a second book, so any thoughts on that matter will be greatly appreciated. Thank you all so much for reading this far, and I'll see you all in the next chapter.